Cow-tail holder.



No. 689,033. Patented D80. I7, |90I. H. F. BEAN.

00W TAIL HULUER.

(Appiication filed Feb. 18, 1901.)

(No Modal.)

n III 1.

` i BY tion as applied for use.

UNITED STATES PATENT EEICE.

HENRY FRANCIS BEAN, OF SALISBURY, NEVV HAMPSHIRE.

COW-TAIL HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 689,033, dated December 17, 1901.

Application filed February 18, 1901. Serial No. 47,86 7. (No model.)

To LZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY FEANoIs BEAN, residing at Salisbury, in the county of Merrimack and State of New Hampshire, have invented a new and Improved Cow-Tail Holder, of .which the following is a specification.

This invention is in the nature of an improved means for holding the cows tail while milking to avoid the annoyance and inconvenience encountered when the tail is permitted to switch about; and it relates more particularly t0 devices for this purpose having means for clamping the tail and connected to the leg of the animal, usually above the gambrel-cord.

Heretofore in cow-tail holders connected to the leg by a ilexible connection the tail-grip ping members have not been arranged for easy application and for engaging the tail in such a manner as to'prevent slipping up or down thereon.

My invention primarily seeks ,to provide a tail-engaging device of wood or metal of a very sim ple and inexpensive construction capable of being :instantly applied on the tail and to grip it in such manner as not to clamp the tail sufficiently to hurt and at the same time grip it in such way so it (the clamping device) will remain on the tail where it is clamped.

My invention comprehends, essentially, a pair of spring-closed clamping-jaws adapted to close over the tail and having supplemental clamping-faces that will firmly grip the hair on the tail, whereby to firmly hold the device at any point on the tail desired.

In its subordinate features my invention consists in certain details of construction and peculiar` combination of parts, including a special construction of the two jaws anda correlative arrangement therewith ofl the spring member, all of which will hereinafter be fully explained, and particularly pointed out in the appended claim, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which*- Figure l is a view'illustrating my inven- Fig. 2 is a plan view of the tail-clamping device. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of the same, the cow-tail being indicated in broken lines.

Fig. 4 is a crosssection on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 is a detail view ot' the jaws and the holding` spring members detached.

My im proved cow-tail holder is formed substan tially of three membersa pair of clamp 55 ing-jaws and a combined jaw-holder and closing-spring. The two jaws in their general arrangement resemble an ordinary noseclamp.

In my construction thetwo jaws A and B (with the exception of the outer extremities) are of like contour and act as opposing mates.

The jawsA and B may be formed. of metal or wood, and each jaw consists of a main centrally-curved part l, that terminates at the in- 7 To hold the two members A and B in their proper positions relatively and also for pressing their outer ends normally together, I provide a special construction of spring. (Shown clearlyin Fig. 5.) The springCconsists of a 8o vertically-disposed coil c of a height substantially that of the thickness of the jaws A and B. The coilc, besides its ordinary function, in my case also serves an additional purposethat of a fulcrum-point which upon the two jaws A and B are pivotally held.

To provide a simple and effective means for holding the two jaws Aand B properly on the fulcrum member c, the faces 2a each have a concaved seat 2b, as shown, and to securely hold the spring C in place and at the same time maintain the inner ends of the jaws A and B in a proper horizontal plane I terminate the opposite ends of the spring C in the manner best shown in Fig. 5, by reference to IOO tension C2, that extends over the jaw A and ends in a pendent hook C3, that passes down in contact with the outside of the neck part 2 of jaw A. The other end of the spring C is likewise bent and extends under the two jaws, its end C4, however, projecting upward over the neck part 2 of jaw BQ By arranging the inner ends of the twoxjaws and providing a spring device, as shown, a very simple and economical means is provided for holding the two jaws A and B in their proper relative position.

The outer ends of the jaws A and B are extended to form supplemental clamping-sections A B', and the said sections A and B' have interlocking portions,one j aw,A,-havin g a longitudinal -shaped groove g and the other, B, a similarly-shaped tongue gfor engaging the said groove g. v

The purpose of the tongue-and-groove jaw connection is twofold-first, it provides for positively gripping the hairs of the tail, as shown in Fig. 4, and holding the device from slipping up and down on the tail without requiring it to clamp the tail with al pressure that might irritate the cow, and, secondly, it also provides a means for holding the outer ends of the two jaws in a proper horizontal alinement. One of the jaws has a ring D, to which is joined one end of a chain or other Iiexible connection, the other end of which has a grab hook d of the ordinary kind, whereby the outer end of said connection can be readily made fast to the hind leg of the cow, as shown in Fig. l.

My invention can be readily iitted upon or removed from the cows tail by pressing the finger ends of the'two jaws A and B together.

Having thus described'my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

An improved cow-tail holder, consisting of two opposing jaws A B, each having an outwardly-curved portion l l, adapted to clamp over the tail, said portions l 1, terminating at one end in inwardly-curved supplemental clamping-sections A' B', one of said sections havin-g a -shaped groove, the other a shaped tongue to engage the groove, whereby to firmly grip the hairs of the tail, and hold the said ends A B', in proper alinement, the oppositeend of said jaws A B, terminating in contracted neck portions, and outwardly-extending members 2X, having divergingly-extended inner faces 2a and concaved seats 2b 2b; a spring-coil adapted te engage the seats 2b 2b, and form a fulcrum for `the two jaws A and B, the opposite ends of the said spring-coil being extended in reverse directions and over the top and bottom faces of the sections 2X 2X, the extremities of the said coil ends being bent at right angles to engage the contracted necks of the jaws, and a flexible member connected to the jaws for holding the device attached to the cows leg, all being arranged substantially as shown and described.-

HENRY FRANCIS BEAN.

Witnesses:

GEORGE E. FELLows, J oHN SHAW. 

